Skateboard truck

ABSTRACT

A skateboard truck assembly with an integrated combination of a system of gears that resemble planetary gears that allow both wheels and a caster to remain on the ground while the skateboard is traveling in a lengthwise manner. At the same time, when the rider leans to one side or the other of the skateboard, the gear assembly causes the “downhill” wheel to rise in the air and the caster to be displaced such that the skateboarder can laterally “slide” or “drift” the skateboard as though it was a snowboard. Because the downhill wheel is raised well above the ground, there is less of a tendency for the downhill wheel to catch on any street irregularities or rocks and stop sliding at inopportune times.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/583,780 filed on Jan. 6, 2012, the entirety of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was not federally sponsored.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the general field of sporting equipment, andmore specifically toward a skateboard truck assembly with an integratedcombination of a system of gears that resemble planetary gears and asplit hanger system that allow both wheels and a caster to remain on theground while the skateboard is traveling in a lengthwise manner. At thesame time, when the rider leans to one side or the other of theskateboard, the gear assembly and split hanger system causes the“downhill” wheel to rise in the air and the caster to be displaced suchthat the skateboarder can laterally “slide” or “drift” the skateboard asthough it was a snowboard. Because the downhill wheel is raised wellabove the ground, there is less of a tendency for the downhill wheel tocatch on any street irregularities or rocks and stop sliding atinopportune times.

With two such skateboard trucks on each skateboard, the rider can have atotal of six wheels on the ground simultaneously while skating in astraight line, but when the rider is making turns or “drifts” or“slides” the skateboard sideways, the “downhill” wheel lifts up, therebygiving the rider more clearance to avoid catching the downhill wheel onany irregularities in the street or other surface upon which he/she isskateboarding. Essentially, the invention provides a split hanger and adisplacement of the caster, or center wheel, from the centerline of theskateboard, which results in enhanced pleasure, maneuverability,stability, and safety in the skateboarding experience for skateboarderswho are interested in speed control and sliding or drifting theirskateboards sideways.

In action, all six wheels are on the ground only when the skateboardtruck is in the neutral position, or in other words, while theskateboard is traveling in a straight-line along the centerline of theskateboard, such as in a forward or reverse direction. When the riderleans to one side of the skateboard in order to make a turn, the twowheels on the opposite edge of the skateboard lifts off of the ground,leaving only four wheels on the ground. Likewise, when the ridermaneuvers the board such that the skateboard travels in a lateraldirection in order to control the speed, the two wheels on the oppositeedge of the skateboard lifts off of the ground, leaving only four wheelson the ground. This leaves the “uphill” wheels and the caster wheels onthe ground as the “downhill” wheels lifts off of the ground. This way, aminimum of four wheels remain on the ground at all times, providingstability, where two of those wheels are casters that have rotated in aposition 90 degrees off the center line of the skateboard, therebymaking it easier to laterally move the skateboard.

The terms epicyclic gears or planetary gears are intended to mean asystem of gears that include at least a planet gear, ring gear orannulus, sun gear, and planet carrier. The configuration of the presentinvention includes a modified planetary gearing system that includes anadditional ring gear and another gear that revolves around the sun gear.The latter of the aforementioned gears is termed the moon gear, as itsfunction is different than a planet gear. It is also envisioned that acombination of other types of mechanisms can be used, but modifiedplanetary gears are incorporated for the sole purpose of thedisplacement of the caster wheel.

Turning to the industry in which this invention is practiced, anunderstanding of the history of the sport as well as its evolutionarypath is important to comprehend the importance of this invention.

The sport of skateboarding can trace its root to the 1940's, although itbecame a popular sport beginning in the 1960's as an offshoot ofsurfing. Because skateboards can be used anywhere there are hardsurfaces, such as streets and sidewalks, and are not limited to coastalareas with decent surf, it has eclipsed the popularity of surfing manytimes over both in terms of numbers of participants and size of theindustry. As would be expected with such a developed sport, skateboardsand their components have evolved over four decades or so since thefirst person took the wheels off an old pair of roller skates and putthem on the underside of a 2″×4″ piece of wood.

The modern skateboard comprises several basic components, including ariding surface, or deck, usually made of an elongated piece of wood,fiberglass or some other sturdy, resilient and flexible material, fourwheels with some sort of ball bearing arrangement upon which the deckand rider are transported, and two skateboard trucks, where the trucksare the steering mechanisms or devices by which the wheels are connectedto the deck. The trucks are attached to the deck in a mirror imagemanner, such that as a user leans on one side of the skateboard, theforces applied by the user cause each truck to simultaneously steer inthe opposite direction that the other truck steers. While located in afairly unobtrusive location on the underside of the deck, the trucks arevery important as they determine how the skater controls his/herskateboard by determining how a skateboard's wheels turn. A persondoubting the importance of the trucks merely needs to try a quickstraight-line trip down a winding hill on a skateboard with trucks thatdo not allow the skateboard wheels to turn before realizing the folly ofsuch an opinion.

Skateboard trucks are made in a wide variety of styles which rely uponseveral basic components, within which there can be significantvariation. The basic components of the modern skateboard truck include abase plate or a truck mounting plate, which is a molded piece of metalwith at least four holes along its edges, which is used to screw or boltthe truck to the bottom of the deck, a bolt, which attaches thewheel-mounting axle to the base plate, and an upward-projecting,wheel-mounting axle which suspends the skateboard wheels on either sideof the kingpin and has a single truck axle or kingpin which sits in aprotected cup or pin-receiving hole in the base plate. The turningability of the skateboard depends on the design and adjustments made tothe kingpin, as the wheels of the skateboard traditionally pivot aroundor in close proximity to the kingpin. The bolt is generally threadedthrough an oversized hole lined with compressible and resilientbushings, often made of plastic components such as urethane, wherebytightening the bolt makes it more difficult to flex the axle, andtherefore more difficult to turn the skateboard (tightening the boltalso generally tends to make the skateboard more stable and lesssusceptible to “wobble” at high speeds, so there is an inherenttrade-off between a user's desire for skateboard maneuverability andstability at high speeds).

As the user leans from side to side, the bolt presses against thebushings, enabling turning and at the same time compressing thebushings, such that further leaning becomes more and more difficult forthe user. The skateboard user steers the skateboard by leaning from oneside to another, thereby applying pressure to the truck, such that thetruck pivots around the truck axles whereby on the front wheels, theouter wheel moves forward while the inside wheel moves back, and on therear wheels, the outer wheel moves back and the inner wheel movesforward, thereby causing the two sets of wheels to no longer be inalignment but rather to describe an arc through which the skateboardwill now travel, presuming the rider balances successfully on theskateboard.

As with many action sports, skateboarders are always looking for ways toimprove upon their equipment by borrowing technologies or ideas fromother sports. Having its origin in surfing (indeed, skateboardinginitially was nicknamed “sidewalk surfing”), skateboarding borrowedheavily from surfing in its early days.

Another sport to borrow from surfing was snowboarding, which wasinitially developed as a way to blend surfing and skiing. Skateboardersappreciated the lateral movement possible in snowboarding and skiing andbegan to try to obtain similar movement on their skateboards. For thosenot experienced with snowboarding, by leaning on the uphill rail, it ispossible to slide the tail of the snowboard forward. By eventuallyshifting the weight to the formerly outside rail, a snowboarder canbring the snowboard around in a complete 360 degree turn. By carefullybalancing his or her weight on the front and back feet, and leaning onthe uphill side of the snowboard, a snowboarder can also bring thesnowboard to a stop, using a braking technique similar to that employedby an ice skater doing a “hockey stop”.

Snowboarding, began sometime in the mid 1960's as an offshoot to skiing.The snowboarding and skateboarding industries are very similar, suchthat there have been many attempts to create or improve sporting goodsin their respective industries by creating or redesigning these sportinggoods to include some features prevalent and useful in one industry intothe other. In the skateboarding industry, there have been many attemptsto redesign a skateboard configuration to include some of the featuresprevalent in snowboarding, one of which include the lateral motion forincreased maneuverability and speed control, as well as provide for theperformance of tricks, such as the 360 degree spin without the snowboardleaving the snow.

Because a traditional skateboard has four wheels, all aligned inparallel without the capacity to swivel, skateboarders mainly directedtheir boards by leaning them from one side to the other. Eventually,skateboard wheel technology (and skateboarding ability) advanced to thepoint where skaters could temporarily slide their skateboards laterally,then recover from the slide and redirect their skateboards in a forwarddirection. However, this method was not an ideal solution to the desireto blend snowboarding with skateboarding, as it was fairly precarioustrying to control a slide or drift by leaning more heavily on the insideor outside rail of the skateboard, and the wheels would wear unevenly,creating a bumpy ride in the future.

The late 1990's and early 2000's brought considerable advances to theblending of snowboard and skateboard technology. One such product wasthe lateral sliding rolling board, which was a skateboard with one ormore casters on each truck, thereby allowing for lateral sliding. Whilethese boards were an alternative to the traditional skateboard andallowed improved “drifting” or “sliding”, the truck was a heavy,unarticulated, solid piece of metal, with one or more casters placed onthe center side of the truck, with the outer wheels mounted on the samehanger and one or more casters placed on the center side of the truck.Thus, when a rider wanted to slide the board, the wheels on the uphilledge of the board would rotate closer to the deck at the same angle asthe wheels on the downhill edge of the board would rotate closer to theground. The precariousness of this arrangement limits the distance thedownhill wheels leave the ground, making it dangerous for riders as theycan “catch an edge”, where the downhill wheels engage the ground,stopping the skateboard, thus throwing the rider from the skateboard.This is similar to a snowboarder catching an edge.

Thus, when a rider wanted to slide the board, once the rider overcamethe initial inertia and forced the wheels to turn enough to lift thedownhill wheel off the ground, and forced the caster to turn in thedirection of the “drift” or “slide”, the caster and only one wheelremained on the ground with the other wheel dangerously close to theground, such that a minor irregularity in the surface of street could“catch” the downhill wheel and send the skateboarder flying off theskateboard. The precariousness of this arrangement can be seen not onlyin movies of riders on these types of boards, delicately trying tobalance a slide with two of the six wheels on the skateboard only a fewmillimeters above the rough ground, but also in the fact that most ofthese boards are sold with skyhooks, which are bindings that enhancestability by keeping the rider's feet attached to the skateboard.

Additionally, the bias castor developed in the lateral sliding rollerboard creates a limiting force or moment that the rider must overcome inorder to rotate the board laterally. This limitation is not prevalent insnowboards and disrupts the ease of movement for the rider. Tocompensate for this, riders traditionally use their arms to throw therider's weight around. This can also be seen in the movies of riders onthese types of boards. As mentioned previously, some riders of suchskateboards resorted to modified skateboard bindings known as“skyhooks”. While these devices successfully anchor the skateboarder'sfee to the skateboard, skyhooks limit foot placement, which limitstricks that can be performed on a typical skateboard.

Another attempt to create a marriage between snow sports andskateboarding was the wheeled ski or land ski. These skis range from abasic roller skate or rollerblade with an elongated base with six ormore wheels, to more complex devices with treads that rotate around aseries of wheels. Land skis have never really caught on for the simplereason that they do not perform as well as their snow ski cousins do.Without the “give” of snow, a land skier is hard pressed to control aslide or drift unless the dirt upon which he or she is riding is ofconsistent, soft texture.

Thus there has existed a long-felt need for a skateboard truck thatallows for smooth, controlled slides, drifts and stops by allowing forthe uphill wheels and the caster of a truck to remain on the ground atthe same time, with the downhill wheels being lifted off the ground to aheight sufficient to avoid surface irregularities that could otherwiseresult in catching the downhill wheel. It must have a mechanism by whichthe angle of each axle for each wheel can change depending on the angleof the board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The current invention provides just such a solution by having askateboard truck with articulated, geared, individual axles for eachwheel and caster allowing skating with all six wheels on the groundsimultaneously and lateral sliding with the two uphill wheels and thetwo casters on the ground, and an adequate elevation of the downhillwheel such that catching a rail is minimized. Further enhancing thestability of this invention is the fact that the gearing is designed tooffset the caster from the centerline when the rider leans to one sideor the other.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a skateboard truckthat allows for lateral sliding in a stable and controllable manner.

It is another object of the invention to provide a skateboard truck withtwo separate axles, one for each wheel, such that the position of onecan be raised relative to the ground.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a skateboard truckthat has two separate axles that are connected by a series of gears to acaster such that the movement of one axle affects the position of thecastor, but not the second axle.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a skateboardtruck with two separate axles and a caster, where both separate axlesand the caster are interconnected by a series of gears such that achange in position of either axle of the caster will affect a change inthe caster of the truck.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a skateboard truckwith two separate axles and a caster, where both separate axles and thecaster are interconnected by a series of gears such that a change inposition of either axle will affect a change in the other two parts ofthe truck.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a caster, casterbracket and caster plate that allow the castor to swivel with norestrictions, just like any other castor, but where the second swivelaxis (the axis that is shared by the sun gear), baseplate, and both ringgears, cannot rotate without any influence from either of the twohangers; in other words, the configuration of the planet gears lock thesun gear in place.

An additional object of the invention includes providing a skateboardtruck where all six wheels engage the ground in a neutral state, andwhen weight is applied to either side of skateboard, four wheels remainengaged to the ground.

It is another object of the invention to provide a skateboard truckwhere the middle wheels are coincident with the centerline of theskateboard in its neutral state, and where the middle wheel is offsetwhen influenced by one of either hangers.

It is a final object of this invention to provide a skateboard truckthat is made from few parts such that assembly of the truck is simpleand manufacture of the truck is inexpensive.

In a particular embodiment, the current invention provides a skateboardcomprising two skateboard trucks, where each skateboard truck comprisesa hanger system, a caster, and a gearing system, where the hanger systemcomprises a top hanger, a bottom hanger, a king pin, and two wheels,where the top hanger and bottom hanger rotate about the king pin, whereone wheel is secured to the top hanger, where one wheel is secured tothe bottom hanger, where the gearing system comprises a plurality ofgears, where the caster comprises a caster wheel and a caster bracket,where the caster bracket, top hanger, and bottom hanger are each securedto one of the plurality of gears of the gearing system, and wherebyangular displacement of the top hanger about the king pin causes adisplacement of the caster and angular displacement of the bottom hangerabout the king pin causes a displacement of the caster.

In another embodiment, the current invention provides a skateboard truckcomprising a hanger system, a caster, and a gearing system, where thehanger system comprises a top hanger, a bottom hanger, and a king pin,where the top hanger and bottom hanger rotate about the king pin, wherethe gearing system comprises a plurality of gears, where the castercomprises a caster wheel and a caster bracket, where the hanger systemis in mechanical connection with the caster through the gearing system,whereby angular displacement of the top hanger about the king pin causesa displacement of the caster and angular displacement of the bottomhanger about the king pin causes a displacement of the caster.

In an additional embodiment, the current invention provides a skateboardtruck comprising a hanger system, a caster, and a gearing system, wherethe skateboard has a centerline that runs down its length, where thehanger system comprises a top hanger, a bottom hanger, a king pin, andtwo wheels, where the top hanger and bottom hanger rotate about the kingpin, where the top hanger and bottom hanger each comprise a toothedportion, where one wheel is secured to the top hanger, where one wheelis secured to the bottom hanger, where the gearing system comprises atop ring gear, a bottom ring gear, a sun gear, a plurality of planetgears, and a plurality of moon gears, where the top ring gear mates withone of the plurality of planet gears, where the bottom ring gear mateswith one of the plurality of planet gears, and where the sun gear mateswith one of the plurality of moon gears, where at least one of theplurality of moon gears mates with at least one of the plurality ofplanet gears where the caster comprises a caster wheel and a casterbracket, where the caster bracket is secured to the sun gear, where thetoothed portion of the top hanger mates with the top ring gear, wherethe toothed portion of the bottom hanger mates with the bottom ringgear, and whereby angular displacement of the top hanger about the kingpin causes a displacement of the caster and angular displacement of thebottom hanger about the king pin causes a displacement of the casterfrom the centerline of skateboard.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofmay be better understood, and in order that the present contribution tothe art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed hereinand other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with reference to the following description andappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a skateboard according to selectedembodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a skateboard truck accordingto selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a skateboard according to selected embodimentsof the current disclosure.

FIG. 5 is bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a top hangeraccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a planet gearaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing a rotated planet gear and corresponding moon gears according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing rotated moon gears and rotational movement of a rivet accordingto selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of a skateboard with the downhillwheel raised according to selected embodiments of the currentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showingdisplacement and rotation of the castor from the centerline according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerlineaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of a skateboard with the downhillwheel raised and the castor wheel rotated perpendicular to thecenterline of the skateboard according to selected embodiments of thecurrent disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showingdisplacement and approximately ninety-degree rotation of the castor fromthe centerline according to selected embodiments of the currentdisclosure.

FIG. 16 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerlineaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sungear partially removed and an angular displacement of the top hanger andtop ring gear.

FIG. 18 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the angular displacement present in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sungear partially removed and an angular displacement of the bottom hangerand bottom ring gear.

FIG. 20 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the angular displacement present in FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with thereferences made to the drawings below. The components in the drawingsare not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed uponclearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover,like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through theseveral views in the drawings.

One embodiment of the current invention is a skateboard truck assemblythat has some combination of wheels and casters resulting in at leastthree round items capable of moving (in combination with at least oneother skateboard truck) a skateboard across the ground. There are twoskateboard wheels suspended on hangers or axles, with one caster, whichsits in a caster bracket. A goal behind the invention is to provide askateboarder with an improved “sliding” or “drifting” ability, alongwith increased stability, improved maneuverability, and a lighterweight.

In a particular embodiment, the skateboard truck includes a set ofindependent hangers with integrated gears that mate with a modifiedplanetary gearing system. Modified planetary gearing system links eachhanger with the displacement of the caster. Such a gearing system allowsboth wheels and a caster to remain on the ground when in a neutral stateas well as to raise one of the two wheels while leaving the other wheeland castor in contact with the ground when in a modified state. Amodified state occurs when a rider places an unequal force about thecenterline of the skateboard, such as when the rider leans on one sideof the skateboard.

With two such skateboard trucks on each end of a skateboard, the ridercan have a total of six wheels on the ground simultaneously whileskateboarding. When the rider leans a sufficient amount to displace thecenter wheel, or caster, from the centerline of the skateboard, therider will have a total of four wheels on the ground and theconfiguration of the skateboard truck forces the “downhill” wheels awayfrom the ground and far enough in the air to avoid catching on streetirregularities.

The function of the skateboard truck proceeds as follows. When theskateboard is in a neutral state, the caster wheels support a majority,if not all, of the weight of the rider. Each hanger is approximately thesame distance from the deck of the skateboard. The caster wheel rotatesin the same direction as the wheels secured to the hangers.

As the rider of the skateboard leans on one side of the skateboard, thewheel on that side is displaced towards the deck of the skateboard. Thismovement is transferred to the hanger, which rotates about the kingpin.A toothed portion, or bevel gear, on the hanger then rotates a ringgear, which in turn rotates a planet gear and corresponding moon gears,which then rotate the sun gear. The rotation of the sun gear is linkedto the caster thereby causing the caster wheel to be displaced about thesame axis as the sun gear. The caster wheel is free to function as anynormal caster wheel, wherein it may rotate to match the appropriatedirection of travel. The opposite hanger (the one not displaced towardsthe deck of the skateboard) does not move relative to the skateboarddeck, but does move away from the ground. Ring stops, discussed in moredetail below, prevent each hanger from rotating below its neutral state(away from the deck of the skateboard) or more than a defined angleabove its neutral state (towards the deck of the skateboard).

Since each hanger is independent of the other and not molded from thesame piece of metal as are traditional hangers, both wheels and thecaster can remain on the ground simultaneously when the user istravelling along a path that is substantially parallel to the centerlineof the skateboard. Furthermore, as the rider applies pressure on oneside of the board and angles the deck, the wheels on the opposite edgeof the board lift off of the ground. Should the rider continue to putpressure on one side of the board, the base of the caster will displacefrom the centerline of the skateboard, where the caster is free torotate in the direction of the rider's choosing. However, the castordoes not offset given any torque applied directly to the sun gear, suchas when a lateral force is applied directly to the caster wheel in adirect attempt to offset the caster from the centerline of theskateboard. This is achieved through the geometry of the gearing system,particularly through the moon and planet gears.

It should be noted that there are two important axes of rotation. Oneaxis is the axis that is shared by the bracket for the caster wheel andthe sun gear. It is assembled with thrust bearings, washers, and arivet. The caster wheel is free to rotate about this axis. The secondimportant axis is the axis shared by the sun gear, both ring gears orannulus, and the baseplate. It is assembled with a rivet. As thebaseplate remains stationary, the rotation of a ring gear and the sungear (or cover) is governed by one of the hangers. The rotation of theother ring gear and again, the cover, is governed by the other hanger.This short summary of the invention will be further explained below.

It is important to note that the hanger gear is shown in theseillustrations with teeth that engage teeth in the ring gear, but it iscontemplated that gearing other than through the use of teeth ispossible.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a skateboard according to selectedembodiments of the current disclosure. The skateboard includes askateboard deck 20 with two skateboard trucks attached thereto, betterviewed in FIG. 2. Each skateboard truck includes two wheels 12 and acastor wheel 14.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure. Each skateboard truck 10is secured to one end of the skateboard deck 20, usually by means ofscrews. As stated above, each skateboard truck 10 includes two wheels 12and a castor wheel 14.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a skateboard truck accordingto selected embodiments of the current disclosure. The skateboard truck10 includes a baseplate 22 that is used to secure the skateboard truckto the skateboard deck. A bottom hanger 16 and a top hanger 18 aresecured to the baseplate 22 by means of a kingpin 30. The bottom hanger16 and the top hanger 18 each have a wheel 12 secured thereto.

The bottom hanger 16 and top hanger 18 are allowed to move relative toeach other. However, there is a spring 17 (or a compressible andresilient bushing) located therebetween that applies a force to each ofthe hangers that, if left unrestrained, would push the wheels 12 awayfrom the deck of a skateboard. Ring stops, discussed in more detailbelow, prevent the hangers from rotating down from their neutral state.Each hanger also has a tooth portion (shown in more detail in FIG. 7)that engages a ring gear (annulus), wherein the top hanger 18 mates withthe top ring gear 26 and the bottom hanger 16 mates with the bottom ringgear 24. The ring gears are secured between the base plate 22 and a sungear 28. A plurality of planet gears 32 and moon gears 36 are alsosituated between the base plate 22 and the sun gear 28 as well as withinthe ring gears.

A caster wheel 14 is secured to a caster bracket, which in turn issecured to the sun gear 28. The rivet 34 is used to secure a casterbracket 15 to the sun gear 28, with thrust bearings and washers inbetween. This configuration allows for the caster wheel 14 to rotatefreely about an axis along the length of the rivet 34 while at the sametime rotating about the axis of the sun gear 28.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a skateboard according to selected embodimentsof the current disclosure. In this view, the skateboard is in a neutralconfiguration, as if the rider were travelling along a straight linethat extends down a lengthwise axis (centerline) of the skateboard. Allthree wheels, including wheels 12 and castor wheel 14 are in contactwith the ground 40 and pointed in the same direction. Top hanger 18 andbottom hanger 16 are in a neutral position, where each is approximatelythe same distance from the skateboard deck 20.

FIG. 5 is bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure. When a rider applies aforce to one side of the skateboard and not the other, the skateboarddeck 20 moves closer to the wheel on the side on which the force isapplied. In this figure, the arrows show a direction of movement of thewheel when such a force is applied.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure. This figureincludes an arrow showing the rotational movement of the top hanger 18and top ring gear 26 when the wheel of the top hanger 18 rotates asshown in FIG. 5. Top hanger 18 has a toothed portion, or bevel gear,that engages top ring gear 26, which in turn engages planet gear 32A.Furthermore, planet gear 32 engages moon gears 36A and 36B. Next, moongears 36A and 36B engage sun gear 28. Therefore, the caster, which issecured to the sun gear by rivet 34, is indirectly connected by means ofmultiple gears to the top hanger 18.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a top hangeraccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure. As tophanger 18 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, top ring gear 26rotates in a clockwise direction.

FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a planet gearaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure. As top ringgear 34 rotates in a clockwise direction, planet gear 32 rotates in aclockwise direction.

FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing a rotated planet gear and corresponding moon gears according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure. As planet gear 32rotates in a clockwise direction, moon gears 36A and 36B rotate in acounter-clockwise direction.

FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing rotated moon gears and rotational movement of a rivet accordingto selected embodiments of the current disclosure. As moon gears 36A and36B rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, sun gear 28 rotates in aclockwise direction. Since the caster wheel, via the caster bracket andrivet 34, is connected to the sun gear 28, it moves in a similardirection. Thus, when top ring gear 26 rotates in a clockwise direction,so does the caster.

It must be appreciated that the same events occur with the bottom hangeras they do with the top hanger, but in reverse. Thus, when the bottomring gear rotates counter-clockwise, so does the caster. However, whileeach hanger may cause the caster to move in a particular direction, thegearing is such that the movement of one hanger does not necessitate themovement of the other hanger, as doing so would attempt to force thecaster in opposing directions.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of a skateboard in a turn with thedownhill wheel raised according to selected embodiments of the currentdisclosure. A force is applied to the skateboard deck 20 to cause thetop hanger 18 and the wheel 12 secured thereto to move towards theskateboard deck. Doing so causes the caster wheel 14 to move away fromthe side of the skateboard with the top hanger 18. This movement,combined with the angling of the skateboard deck 20 causes the otherhanger, the bottom hanger 16 and the wheel 12 secured thereto, to moveaway from the ground such that the wheel lifts off of the ground.

FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showingdisplacement and rotation of the castor from the centerline according toselected embodiments of the current disclosure. The caster wheel 14 hasmoved a distance ΔD away from top hanger 18 and towards bottom hanger 16because of the rotation of caster bracket 15 with sun gear 28.

FIG. 13 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerlineaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure. The rivet34, to which the caster wheel is connected via the caster bracket (bothnot shown in this figure), rotates with the sun gear 28. The sun gear 28is rotated due to the movement of top hanger 18. The rivet 34 isdisplaced a distance ΔD relative to its neutral state.

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of a skateboard with the downhillwheel raised and the castor wheel rotated perpendicular to thecenterline of the skateboard according to selected embodiments of thecurrent disclosure. Similar to FIG. 11, this figure shows the bottomhanger 16 and the wheel 12 secured thereto displaced away from theground such that the wheel lifts off of the ground, while the top hanger18 and the wheel secured thereto remain in contact with the ground. Thisconfiguration is used when the skateboard moves laterally.

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showingdisplacement and approximately ninety-degree rotation of the castor fromthe centerline according to selected embodiments of the currentdisclosure. The caster wheel 14 is shown displaced a distance ΔD fromthe centerline of the skateboard truck. Sun gear 28 has been rotatedaccording to directional arrows located thereon by the angulardisplacement of top hanger 18. The caster wheel is also rotatedperpendicular to the centerline of the skateboard. This enables a riderto more easily ride a skateboard in a perpendicular direction to thecenterline of the skateboard.

FIG. 16 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerlineaccording to selected embodiments of the current disclosure. Rivet 34,to which the caster wheel is connected via the caster bracket (both notshown in this figure), is displaced a distance ΔD from the centerline ofthe skateboard truck (and thus skateboard). Top hanger 18 rotates topring gear 26 , which in turn causes planet gears 32 and sun gear 28 torotate according to directional arrows located thereon. Rivet 34, beingsecured to sun gear 28, is therefore displaced a distance ΔD.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sungear partially removed and an angular displacement of the top hanger andtop ring gear. Top hanger 18 is displaced an angle Δθ about kingpin 30.At the same time, bottom hanger 16 remains in its neutral state.Rotation of top hanger 18 causes top ring gear 26 to rotate an angle ΔA.In a particular embodiment, the maximum angle of rotation ΔA of top ringgear 26 is sixteen degrees. Further rotation of the top ring gear 26 isresisted by top ring stops 21, 23, and 25 (ring stop 25 is more clearlyshown in FIG. 18). Ring stop 21 is a protrusion that is incorporatedinto baseplate 22. Ring stops 23 and 25 are an internal gear andprotrusion, respectively, that are incorporated into bottom ring gear24. Corresponding protrusions in top ring gear 26 mate with the ringstops 21, 23, and 25 when it has reached its maximum rotational angle,whereby further rotation is resisted.

FIG. 18 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the angular displacement present in FIG. 17. Ring stops 21, 23,and 25 are used to prevent top ring gear 26 from rotating beyond adesired angle, in this embodiment sixteen degrees. As top ring gear 26rotates, a portion of top ring gear 26 will eventually come in contactwith ring stops 21, 23, and 25, which then prevents further rotation. Atthe same time, downward rotation of the opposing bottom hanger 16 isresisted by the rotational limits of bottom ring gear 24, whose furtherrotation is prevented by ring stops 21, 31, and 41. This causes thebottom hanger 16 to remain in its neutral state relative to theskateboard deck and rise off of the ground when the user leans to thetop hanger 18 side.

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sungear partially removed and an angular displacement of the bottom hangerand bottom ring gear. Bottom hanger 16 is displaced an angle Δθ aboutkingpin 30. At the same time, top hanger 18 remains in its neutralstate. Rotation of bottom hanger 16 causes bottom ring gear 24 to rotatean angle ΔA. In a particular embodiment, the maximum angle of rotationΔA of bottom ring gear 24 is sixteen degrees. Further rotation of thebottom ring gear 24 is resisted by bottom ring stops 31, 33, and 35.Ring stop 31 is a protrusion that is incorporated into baseplate 22.Ring stops 33 and 35 are an internal gear and protrusion, respectively,that are incorporated into the top ring gear 26. Correspondingprotrusions in bottom ring gear 24 mate with the ring stops 31, 33, and35 when it has reached its maximum rotational angle, whereby furtherrotation is resisted.

FIG. 20 is a cut-away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truckshowing the angular displacement present in FIG. 19. Ring stops 31, 33,and 35 are used to prevent bottom ring gear 24 from rotating beyond adesired angle, in this embodiment sixteen degrees. As bottom ring gear24 rotates, a portion of bottom ring gear 24 will eventually come incontact with ring stops 31, 33, and 35, which then prevents furtherrotation. At the same time, downward rotation of the opposing top hanger18 is resisted by the rotational limitations of the top ring gear 26,whose further rotation is prevented by ring stops 21, 31, and 41. Thiscauses the top hanger 18 to rise off of the ground when the user leansto the bottom hanger 16 side.

Various different materials can be used for the gears, hangers, wheels,and other various components of the skateboard truck. For example, thegears may be manufactured from stainless steel, titanium, or aluminum.In a particular embodiment, the wheels are made from polyurethane.

Other gear configurations may be implemented as well to achieve the samedesired outcomes of the current invention. More or fewer gears may beused so long as each hanger displaces the caster wheel from thecenterline of the skateboard. In fact, mechanisms other than gearing maybe used to achieve the same outcome. For example, a pulley system may beused wherein angular displacement of the hanger moves the caster wheelthrough a series of pulleys. Alternatively, angular displacement of thehangers may be read in by an electronic sensor, which in turn causes anelectric motor to displace the caster wheel from the centerline of theskateboard.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of theinvention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure ismade by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto arepossible without departing from the subject matter coming within thescope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof,which claims I regard as my invention.

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyrightprotection under the copyright laws of the United States and othercountries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure,as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all othercopyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

That which is claimed:
 1. A skateboard truck comprising a hanger system,a caster, and a gearing system, where the hanger system comprises a tophanger, a bottom hanger, a king pin, and two wheels, where the tophanger and bottom hanger rotate about the king pin, where the top hangerand bottom hanger each comprise a toothed portion, where one wheel issecured to the top hanger, where one wheel is secured to the bottomhanger, where the gearing system comprises a top ring gear, a bottomring gear, a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears, and a plurality ofmoon gears, where the top ring gear mates with one of the plurality ofplanet gears, where the bottom ring gear mates with one of the pluralityof planet gears, where the planet gears mate with one of the pluralityof moon gears, and where the sun ring mates with one of the plurality ofmoon gears, where the caster comprises a caster wheel and a casterbracket, where the caster bracket is secured to the sun gear, where thetoothed portion of the top hanger mates with the top ring gear, wherethe toothed portion of the bottom hanger mates with the bottom ringgear, and whereby angular displacement of the top hanger about the kingpin causes a displacement of the caster and angular displacement of thebottom hanger about the king pin causes a displacement of the caster. 2.The skateboard truck of claim 1, wherein the gearing system furthercomprises a plurality of ring stops, where the ring stops resistrotation of the top ring gear and bottom ring gear beyond a specifiedangle, where the ring stops are integrated into the baseplate, top ringgear, bottom ring gear, or any combination thereof.
 3. The skateboardtruck of claim 1, wherein the hanger system further comprises a spring,where the spring is located between the top hanger and bottom hanger,where the spring applies a force to the top hanger and bottom hanger. 4.The skateboard truck of claim 1, wherein the caster bracket of thecaster is secured to the sun gear by means of a rivet.
 5. A skateboardtruck comprising a hanger system, a caster, and a gearing system, wherethe hanger system comprises a top hanger, a bottom hanger, and a kingpin, where the top hanger and bottom hanger rotate about the king pin,where the gearing system comprises a plurality of gears, where thecaster comprises a caster wheel and a caster bracket, where the hangersystem is in mechanical connection with the caster through the gearingsystem, whereby angular displacement of the top hanger about the kingpin causes a displacement of the caster and angular displacement of thebottom hanger about the king pin causes a displacement of the caster. 6.The skateboard truck of claim 5, wherein the hanger system furthercomprises two wheels, where one wheel is secured to the top hanger, andwhere one wheel is secured to the bottom hanger.
 7. The skateboard truckof claim 5, wherein the plurality of gears comprises a top ring gear, abottom ring gear, a sun gear.
 8. The skateboard truck of claim 7,wherein the plurality of gears further comprises a plurality of planetgears and a plurality of moon gears.
 9. The skateboard truck of claim 8,wherein the top ring gear mates with one of the plurality of planetgears, where the bottom ring gear mates with one of the plurality ofplanet gears, where the planet gears mate with one of the plurality ofmoon gears, and where the sun ring mates with one of the plurality ofmoon gears.
 10. The skateboard truck of claim 5, where the top hangerand bottom hanger each comprise a toothed portion.
 11. The skateboardtruck of claim 10, wherein the caster bracket is secured to the sungear, where the toothed portion of the top hanger mates with the topring gear, where the toothed portion of the bottom hanger mates with thebottom ring gear.
 12. The skateboard truck of claim 11, wherein thegearing system further comprises a plurality of ring stops, where thering stops resist rotation of the top ring gear and bottom ring gearbeyond a specified angle, where the ring stops are integrated into thebaseplate, top ring gear, bottom ring gear, or any combination thereof.13. The skateboard truck of claim 10, wherein the caster bracket of thecaster is secured to the sun gear by a rivet.
 14. The skateboard truckof claim 5, wherein the hanger system further comprises a spring, wherethe spring is located between the top hanger and bottom hanger, wherethe spring applies a force to the top hanger and bottom hanger.
 15. Askateboard comprising two skateboard trucks, where each skateboard truckcomprises a hanger system, a caster, and a gearing system, where theskateboard has a centerline that runs down its length, where the hangersystem comprises a top hanger, a bottom hanger, a king pin, and twowheels, where the top hanger and bottom hanger rotate about the kingpin, where one wheel is secured to the top hanger, where one wheel issecured to the bottom hanger, where the gearing system comprises aplurality of gears, where the caster comprises a caster wheel and acaster bracket, where the caster bracket, top hanger, and bottom hangerare each secured to one of the plurality of gears of the gearing system,and whereby angular displacement of the top hanger about the king pincauses a displacement of the caster and angular displacement of thebottom hanger about the king pin causes a displacement of the casterfrom the centerline of skateboard.
 16. The skateboard of claim 15,wherein the gearing system of each skateboard truck comprises a top ringgear, a bottom ring gear, a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears, and aplurality of moon gears where the top ring gear mates with one of theplurality of planet gears, where the bottom ring gear mates with one ofthe plurality of planet gears, where the planet gears mate with one ofthe plurality of moon gears, and where the sun ring mates with one ofthe plurality of moon gears.
 17. The skateboard of claim 16, wherein thetop hanger and bottom hanger of the hanger system each comprise atoothed portion, where the toothed portion of the top hanger mates withthe top ring gear, where the toothed portion of the bottom hanger mateswith the bottom ring gear.
 18. The skateboard of claim 16, wherein thegearing system further comprises two ring stops, wherein the ring stopsresist rotation of the top ring gear and bottom ring gear beyond aspecified angle.
 19. The skateboard of claim 16, wherein the casterbracket of the caster is secured to the sun gear by a rivet.
 20. Theskateboard of claim 15, wherein the hanger system further comprises aspring, where the spring is located between the top hanger and bottomhanger, where the spring applies a force to the top hanger and bottomhanger.
 21. The skateboard of claim 15, wherein the skateboard furthercomprises six wheels and has a neutral state, wherein a wheel isattached to each hanger of each truck, and where a wheel is attached toeach caster of each truck, where each wheel of the skateboard is incontact with a surface that the skateboard rests upon when in a neutralstate.
 22. The skateboard of claim 15, whereby the castor of a truck isnot offset when a lateral force is applied directly to the caster wheel.